The present invention relates generally to containers for liquids, and in particular, to containers for liquid medicinal products, such as for example, intravenous solutions such as electrolytic or other solutions, plasma substitute solutions, anticoagulant solutions, blood or plasma and derivatives.
Plastic molded containers have found increasing acceptance in recent years and are used extensively throughout the packaging field due to the fact that they are relatively inexpensive, lighter in weight, durable and resist degradation from the liquids they contain. In the medical field, a particularly wide acceptance has been found for flexible containers used for dispensing liquids such as intravenous solutions. A continuing problem exists however in reducing the manufacturing costs of said containers. An additional problem has been the manufacture of such containers having a number of ports attached thereto for adding additional liquid to the container such as a medicament, or for filling the container itself prior to sterilization.
The following U.S. patents and applications are representative of several attempts at solving such problems:
Ser. No. 807,759 filed Mar. 17, 1969--"Sealed Bag for Liquids"--David Bellamy, Jr. et al.; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 1,431,871 granted Oct. 10, 1922--"Bottle and Like Closing Device"--Edward Burnet; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,031 granted June 13, 1967--"Bottles of Flexible Material for Medicinal Products"--J. L. G. Singier; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,062 granted Dec. 12, 1967--"Molding Method for Making Sealed Articles"--Jerome H. Lemelson; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,374 granted Nov. 11, 1975--"Method for Blow Molding a Container Having an Auxiliary Component Formed as an Integral Part of It"--Henry Komendowski; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,479,421 granted Nov. 18, 1969--"Method of Molding Hollow Bodies"--Fritz Armbruster et al.; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,931 granted Dec. 12, 1972--"Method for Blow Molding and Compression Molding Thermoplastic Material"--Raymond C. Confer, et al.; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,995 granted July 3, 1973--"Blow Molded Article of Thermoplastic Material Having a Threaded Insert Therein"--Raymond C. Confer et al.; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,986 granted Apr. 23, 1974--"Containers"--Jean Joseph Gaudin; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,810,503 granted May 14, 1974--"Variable Volume Container for Fluids"--Dan Lewis, Jr. et al.; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,029 granted Nov. 26, 1974--"Method for Molding and Sealing Thermoplastic Containers"--W. G. Cornett III, et al.; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,264 granted Feb. 3, 1976--"Apparatus for Blow Molding a Container With Breachable Sealing Members"--Walter G. Cornett III; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,033 granted Sept. 20, 1977--"Molded Collapsible Solution Container"--Philip G. Ralston, Jr.
Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention to provide a container for liquids which is low cost and easy to manufacture. It is an additional advantage of the invention to provide a container for sterile liquids which has a number of tubular ports integrally formed and extending therefrom during the same forming process as the container itself.
An additional problem in this regard has been the injection of liquids through one of the tubular ports. At the present time resealable septums are commonly used in such ports. However the liquids within such containers usually have a deleterious effect upon such resealable septums, which are usually constructed of a rubber material. Accordingly it is an additional advantage of the invention to provide a container for liquids which has a diaphragm integrally formed in each tubular port so as to separate the liquid contained within the container from the resealable septum within the tubular port, thereby preventing deterioration of the septum.